Autopilot "skilled workers" took up the job, and once they knew the road again

Whenever industry observers bring up concepts such as smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0 or Industrial Internet of Things, they are generally associated with connected plant equipment and big data analytics technologies. They are the perfect combination for improving the quality and performance of production lines or supply chains. However, what actually drives the whole chain is actually the simplest plant equipment.

As an affiliate of ClearPath Robotics, Enter Otto Motors is a startup focused on intelligent self-driving vehicles (SDVs). However, these self-driving vehicles are not a rider. Their main task is to ship in factory and shuttle facilities. article. This week, at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, the company demonstrated the Otto 100 and the Otoo 1500 for the transport of light and heavy goods.

In April this year, the company began to actively deploy its products in the factory mainly rely on on-board sensors, which is very different from the traditional automatic guided vehicles (AGV), the latter rely mainly on tapes, beacons or exclusive facilities Complete the transportation task in the factory building.

The new flexible navigation system is based on its parent company's Clearpath OS. The OS contains APIs for the development of enterprise resource planning systems. Through the scheduler, users can create work instructions and automate workflows.

At Otto's launch at IMTS, the companyâ€™s executives stated that, like cooperating robots, Ottoâ€™s autonomous vehicles can work with humans. At the same time, under the influence of automatic learning technology and sensors, it can also accurately compose the surrounding environment.

â€œIt's easy to make Otto familiar with the factory environment. Just take it there with a circle. Throughout the process, it will use its own sensor to build a map inside the building,â€ Simon Drexler said. Is head of Otto's Industrial Solutions Division. "Once it builds a map in the computer, it can move freely in the factory building."

If you do not want Otto to drive your vehicle in a purpose-built walk in a factory, you can set a fixed route for it and set the data such as its speed. In addition, the user can also limit the scope of his activities through the program.

"With new smart technologies, we provide our customers with a flexible way of operating that is beyond the reach of traditional technologies," said Drexler. â€œOtto's technology is primarily about winning when we can automate undefined tasks that were previously unthinkable.â€

In the two products shown by Otto, the 1500 load reached 1500 kg, while the 100 load was 100 kg. In order to meet the needs of users, both products provide a variety of configurations for free combination.

At the same time, they are equipped with lidar sensors and are all ANSI B56 compliant. What's even more interesting is that some customers have specifically given Otto 1500 employee-level treatment, which they can ride on the way the workers walk.

Drexler said: â€œOtoo provides customers with a complete solution that quickly goes to Industry 4.0, which is feasible and will not split existing manufacturing processes and facilities.â€

Via Â Automationworld